Journaling about my trip to the Holy Land has turned out to be a much loftier task than I ever imagined. My pictures are some how terribly out of order on my computer and interruptions have been abundant as I have over and over again tried to make it through this task before Labor Day.
It has not been nearly as easy as France. Notre Dame is Notre Dame. Little explanation needed.
These picture require much more, as even I have to go back and match each church with what we experienced there. As I do this, I remain awed by the fact that I even stood in all of these places. Tonight at church the Gospel mentioned Capernaum and I immediately stood there...yes, I could picture it exactly and knew what it must have looked like when Jesus talked to the crowds that gathered.
'We began this day at the Iraeli Museum which put everything in perspective. It was an exact replica of what Jerusalem looked like at the time of Christ. When you see this you get it. As we spent the past day wandering the narrow streets, surrounded by very big walls I could not get the scope of what I was seeing. How did this relate to this and where is this in relation to that.
Standing above this and looking down you could imagine it...how it all fit together.
These few rocks placed outside this wall show the place of the crucifixion.
It was indeed outside he walls.
This was the great temple that our Lord said he would destroy and rebuild in three days.
After viewing all of this we went through the inside of the Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. These scrolls are probably the single most significant discovery relating to the Bible. The confirm the accuracy of the Old Testament. These texts date back over 2100 years and there they were in front of our eyes. No pictures were allowed but standing there in front of them, looking at the incredible beauty of the written texts will remain with me forever. They lay hidden until 1947....parchment preserved for that length of time. Parchment that existed before our Lord was born. Parts of sandals and earthenware were also on display.
It alone was worth the journey.
Our next stop was the birthplace of John the Baptist.
This was another beautiful spot, well tended as were all of the areas we visited.
What touched me most about this spot was the realization that Our Blessed Mother, pregnant with Jesus, traveled over 90 miles to stay with her cousin Elizabeth until John was born. That was not 90 miles by bus as we traveled it. The strength of these people was unmatched. As I panted walking the five or six miles we waked each day, I wondered how they did it....joyfully.
Shepherds Field was our next stop. This was truly one of my favorite places on our trip
It was here that the Angles appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of the Christ Child.
Simple shepherds tending their flocks were the first to know of Christ's arrival.
Christ arrived simply and lead a simple life...it was only fitting.
Beautiful murals depicted every scene.
The most touching part was mass in the shepherds cave. Yes, this was indeed a cave. It was where the shepherds came with their flocks at night. The sheep were put in first and the shepherds stayed near the entrance to protect the flock.
A magnificent carved olive wood manger scene sat in one of the crevices of the cave.
Outside on this brutally hot day we stood in the fields. So much has been built up around and over these areas that standing in the simple field was so nice. This was not simple flat land. Keeping a flock contained had to be an overwhelming task....
It was cause to stop and reflect upon what it must be like for Jesus to contain the flock he tries to
shepherd each day.
shepherd each day.
Our next stop was the Church of the Nativity.
This was hugely ornate and extremely crowded. It honestly lost the simplicity which I know the birthplace of Jesus surely had. That is the problem with things becoming a tourist attraction.
We waited in line for quite awhile to touch what was believed to be the spot "where the Word was made flesh."
As I look back today I realize that the whole thing was part of the trip I had so looked forward to. I wanted the same simple cave. I should have realized that would not be the case. Over 2000 years things would be different. I know I have been there and in my mind I can picture how it must have been. That is good enough.
.
A beautiful statue of the Holy Family was at the exit of the church.
A statue depicting the family fleeing Bethlehem to escape the wrath of Herod.
Final visit on this fourth day was the Milk Grotto. This sacred grotto is said to be the sight where the family stopped so Mary could nurse her baby. Some of the milk spilt on the floor, turning the whole floor milk white.
It is a pilgrimage sight for many couple suffering from infertility.
This priest was so kind to share the whole history of this place with our group.
He later took us to the center with the pile of binders of people that has successfully conceived after prayer at the is grotto.
What do I believe?
I believe in the power of prayer, but I also believe that you have to really believe that the prayers will work.
When I pray I believe.
I believe that God always answers our prayers though it might not be the outcome we expect.
This has been another very busy day. It is hard to really process all that we do in a day. Night time and gathering together was when we finally took time to process the journey.
Four more days. What an experience.
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